


everyone found out (they already knew)

by kagaminatsuki



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDU AAHHA, M/M, blushy blushy faces ahahhaha, prepare to cringe, stop me someone, they're just really gay, this is so overdue wtf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 04:03:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4904794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kagaminatsuki/pseuds/kagaminatsuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(<em>Did everyone seriously call this before we even started dating, </em>Makoto thought. <em>Oh my god, are we that oblivious?</em>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	everyone found out (they already knew)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [♥Mandu♥](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=%E2%99%A5Mandu%E2%99%A5).



> 9/10-I'm so sorry this is like 3 weeks late. I still wrote it though!! hhhhhhhh ENJOY HUBWAIFUUU ♥

Makoto woke up with a sense of peace he rarely experienced in the morning. He was usually awoken by his alarm set for five, jolted awake by the obnoxious noise and plagued with thoughts of Haru as soon as his consciousness crossed the line between dreams and reality. _Is Haru awake? Did he sleep well? Did Haru eat yet? Is Haru in the bathtub again? What if Haru falls asleep in the bathtub and drowns? But Haru can’t drown. Haru is a dolphin or merman or something- it’s impossible._

Today, though, was an exception.

He told his parents yesterday that he would stay over at Haru’s for today and the weekend despite having school. Honestly, though Makoto and Haru had been attached to the hip since childhood, they rarely slept over during weekdays, since they often got distracted. The first time they attempted to, Haru and Makoto spent their entire night watching videos of the Olympic swimmers instead of doing their homework. Also, both of his parents were working today, so Makoto thought they would need him at home to take care of the twins. Instead, his parents glanced at each other smugly and practically made him rush to Haru’s house, almost causing him to forget a toothbrush and a fresh change of clothes (they winked at each other when they saw him packing a pair of swim trunks and underwear; in Makoto’s defense, he had swim practice and changing into the same pair of underwear felt disgusting). The situation was already kind of weird, but it became downright strange when Ran and Ren ran up to him and rather than begging him to bring Haru back with him instead of staying over, they wished him good luck and proudly told him that they were teenagers (“We understand grown-up things! I don’t know how _that_ sounds fun, but it’s okay. We respect your tastes, onii-chan!” Ran’s smile seemed a bit less innocent than usual, but that could be Makoto’s imagination), so they didn’t need him to take care of them all the time anymore.

It was worth going, though. He remembered Haru last night, tugging insistently on his sleeve all the way home, a habit from their days as children. Haru was just as wordless now as when he was a child. When they reached Makoto’s house, rather than nodding simply as goodbye, the tugging increased tenfold. His azure eyes asked his unspoken question. _Will you stay?_

Makoto turned to the side, realizing his limbs were entangled with Haru’s. They always slept together in the same bed when they were still scrawny kids, Makoto clinging to Haru to protect himself from monsters in the dark, and Haru didn’t seem to mind now, even though Makoto was a bit too big to share a bed with. They ended up pressing up close to each other, the heat of the bodies a comfort. Haru didn’t turn his heater on until he got home, and even then, he rarely turned it on full blast during November. In hindsight, Makoto realized that sleeping pressed together was not their brightest idea, since Haru was a bit too close now. Which was nice, if it weren’t for the fact that Makoto kind of has too many feelings.  Haru breathed in softly, his chest rising and falling at a continuous rate. Makoto could feel the lithe muscles developed from swimming pressed against him, strong and solid and amazing.

Okay, Makoto is not gay. He’s just a bit, for a lack of better word, _harusexual_ , as Nagisa had put it. But it’s just Makoto grew up admiring Haru, respecting his natural talent and flawless swimming, and somewhere along the way, this platonic feeling became romantic. Everyone called it back when they were in elementary (“Haruka-kun and Makoto-kun are totally married!” “Who would be the father?” “Makoto-san! He’s bigger and stronger.” “No, Haruka-kun would be.  Just look at the way Makoto-kun practically dotes over Haruka-kun. He always brings him lunch and scolds him for trying to swim in weird places. He’s always taking care of Haruka-kun. He’d make the perfect wife.”)

 Secretly, Makoto always saw Haru as the father; he was more assertive and besides, Haru was the one who comforted him whenever he had nightmares, protected Makoto from his own fears. When Makoto nearly drowned, Haru was there to comfort. He never said much, didn’t tell anyone, but always made sure to make up an excuse for Makoto whenever they were invited on class trips to the beach. (“You _never_ come to the beach. Besides, doesn’t Haruka-kun love the water? Why doesn’t he go, then?” Haru would shake his head. “I love swimming and the water, but I already promised to teach Makoto how to cook the best mackerel dishes. He said he wanted to learn so he could make some for my birthday or something.” “No, I said it was so I could make you lunch!”) Makoto felt a jolt of fondness as he recalled all the times Haru saved him from a pinch. Haru might be silent, but he cared more than anyone else. No words were needed for Makoto to be certain about that.

So yeah, Makoto was stuck in bed with Haru thinking about Haru and possibly ready to pop a boner at five in the morning, but hey, that’s all right ( _It’s like a bad romance movie with teenagers who do stupid things because of hormornes)._ Being with Haru was enough.

Makoto wondered if he could slip out of bed without waking up Haru. He grabbed for his phone, the brightness of the screen blinding him. 5:31. Makoto had time. He usually roused Haru at around 6, which gave him half an hour to take care of his problem.

Struggling to get his large frame off of the bed, Makoto wriggled around, almost managing to get off the bed. Haru reached out to grab his arm. Despite his quiet nature, Haru was extremely clingy when he slept. Makoto’s earliest memory of waking up to Haru spread all over him was when he was six. Haru invited him over after Makoto dropped unsubtle hints the whole day that he really wanted to have a sleepover with his precious Haru. When Haru had politely asked Makoto’s parents if Makoto could stay over, they cooed and called him adorable, readily agreeing. Back then, Haru was all chubby cheeks and sparkling eyes. Now, he was all taut muscle and cool gaze. Either way, Makoto’s heart still throbbed whenever he met Haru’s eyes.

Sighing in relief, Makoto finally managed to pry Haru off of him. He stumbled unevenly to the bathroom. He was used to getting these in the morning. He conjured his latest fantasy, Haru covered in cake on his birthday and forcing him to eat it off him. A dominant Haru was extremely hot, in Makoto’s opinion. He came quickly. As he cleaned himself up, he heard a knock on the door. There was still a stain his precum left behind on his pants.

 “Makoto?”

Makoto froze in his tracks, his eyes widening comically. Of course Haru would wake up at the most inconvenient time possible. Cursing his voice for raising a few octaves, Makoto responded. “Yes?”

Makoto wanted to crawl into a hole, preferably at least a thousand miles away from Haru, and die. _This is really embarrassing. Tachibana Makoto, why couldn’t you just control the urges. Oh my god. What am I gonna do? What if he comes over? What if he asks me why it smells?_

“Are you alright? Your voice seems kind of high. You’re not sick, right?” Makoto watched the doorknob turn. _I forgot to lock the door. Great._

Makoto laughed nervously, clearing his throat to make his voice go back to its normal pitch. “I’m fine, Haru. I just really needed to use the bathroom, so-”

Haru was now directly in front of him. He glanced at him skeptically. Makoto automatically moved his hand to cover the stain, willing for it to disappear. Haru sniffed the air a bit as his eyes followed the movement. Makoto died a bit inside as he saw Haru’s eyes light up in understanding.

“Uh…” Makoto turned his head away, an uncomfortable heat crawling up from his neck to his cheeks. Sneaking a glance at Haru, Makoto noted how Haru’s face was in a similar state to his.

 _He kind of looks like a tomato. It’s really cute…_ _Wait. This isn’t the time for this, get it together Tachibana Makoto._ Mentally slapping himself to get back on track, Makoto debated whether he should just crawl out the window and run to his house, lock himself in there, and never come out.

Haru reacted before he moved though. “Makoto.”

“Y-yes?”

Makoto felt a cool hand on his cheek and turned his head towards Haru, who had suddenly closed the distance between them. The warmth of Haru’s breath caused him to blush harder. Haru looked just as embarrassed, but there was a flicker of determination in his eyes, a set line to his lips.

Makoto managed to stutter out, “Uh-“ before he was cut off but a sudden softness against his lips, effectively shutting him up. It took a moment for Makoto to register what was happening, his brain short-circuiting from the intensity and suddenness of the kiss. Tachibana Makoto was actually _kissing_ Nanase Haruka, his childhood friend who he had the crush on for the longest time. It was actually happening.

Eagerly responding, Makoto leaned down a bit so Haru wouldn’t have to stand on his tiptoes.  Honestly, Makoto had no idea how to properly make out, but he tried parting his lips a bit instead of pursing them. Haru responded by also parting his lips. Their mouths fit together, and Makoto finally realized why people enjoyed kissing so much. Haru’s lips were moist and warm against his, somewhere between lewd and sweet. Makoto wrapped his arms around Haru and pulled him closer, completely forgetting about his previous embarrassment.

When they broke apart for air, Haru turned away. Makoto wondered if this was an in-the-moment thing, that Haru didn’t actually feel anything.This was definitely awkward.  Makoto tentatively asked, “Haru? Are you okay?”

“Y-you didn’t mind it?”

Makoto furrowed his brow in confusion. Not only did he not mind it, he enjoyed it a bit too much, to be honest.

“I liked it. Were you okay with it?” Makoto flushed again. _When am I going to stop acting like one of those blushy school girls from those shoujo mangas that Rin swears he doesn’t read._

“It wasn’t out of line, right?” Haru sounded so unsure and slightly scared and freaked out (Makoto never saw that before) that Makoto just wanted to wrap his arms around him. _Should I give Haru his space?_ _Ah, screw it._ Makoto wrapped his arms around Haru, resting his chin on Haru’s shoulder, causing Haru to stiffen before he relaxed into Makoto’s touch.

Since childhood, Makoto would try to guess what Haru was thinking. He prided himself in being the only one that understood what Haru meant by his silent actions or one word replies. This time was no exception.

_I like you._

“Me too, Haru.”

Their romantic moment was broken by the blaring of Makoto’s phone. 

 “Oh crap, we’re gonna be late to school!”

~

“Haru,” Makoto asked as they walked to school, “Are we dating now?”

Haru kept walking without turning around. Makoto watched him carefully until he saw the shy nod. Makoto smiled, speeding up to catch up to Haru and grab his hand. Haru glared at him, cheeks tinged red. Makoto saw the underlying happiness though. Haru had always been more closed off when it came to admitting his feelings, which is what surprised Makoto. In his fantasies, Makoto was always the one making the first move, hoping for his feelings to be returned. Instead, Haru had boldly grabbed his face and initiated a kiss.

“Haru, why did you suddenly kiss me at that moment?”

Makoto watched in amusement as Haru turned a different shade of red. “It was your birthday present. Happy birthday, Makoto.”

“Ah...”  Now that Makoto thought about it, there certainly were a lot of out-of character things Haru did today. He didn’t spend an hour in the tub, opting to let Makoto shower. He didn’t cook mackerel for breakfast. He didn’t spend forever deciding on a swimsuit and grabbed one prepared beforehand. In fact, Makoto’s morning had gone pretty smoothly other than the kiss.

Haru stared at him critically. “You forgot, didn’t you.”

“So you were planning to kiss me from the start, right?”

Before Haru could comment further, Nagisa and Rei appeared, each carrying a colorful bag.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKOTO-SENPAI!”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKO-CHAN!”

Nagisa and Rei turned to glare at each other. “We agreed on Mako-chan.”

“No, we agreed on Makoto-senpai.”

“But Mako-chan sounds cuter!”

“And Makoto-senpai is more respectful.”

Makoto stepped in before this could lead to a full-blown argument about his name. “Thanks guys!”

“Open it up!” Nagisa smiled brightly, unceremoniously shoving a blue and green striped bag into his hand.

Makoto peered into the bag and saw a fairly large box. _Probably a cake._

“Here Makoto-senpai,” Rei said as he handed Makoto another bag similarly colored with a polka dots design.

Makoto grabbed the bag and took one look at Nagisa, bouncing around excitedly. He decided he didn’t want to be there when Nagisa got overly hyperactive from a sugar rush. “How about after practice?”

Rei shot him a grateful look while Nagisa pouted. Immediately, he brightened up when he noticed Makoto’s fingers entangled with Haru’s. They had forgotten about the public display of affection. Rei certainly did not feel the need to point it out. The same could not be said for Nagisa, however.

“Damn, you guys sure flaunt it.” Rei shot Nagisa a warning glance. Makoto raised his eyebrow in confusion.

“Flaunt what?” Haru asked.

“What? Of course I mean your re-“ Nagisa was effectively cut off by Rei’s hand clamped over his mouth, an apologetic smile on his face. “Nagisa-kun and I have some important matters to attend to. He needs help studying for the Japanese Literature test. It’s a life or death situation. His parents will have his head if he fails this. See you at lunch or after school. Bye!”

Makoto watched their retreating backs before voicing his thoughts. “I wonder what Nagisa meant.”

Haru shrugged, the impassive expression a clear indication of how little he cared about it. “Nagisa can be strange. Just let it be. Besides, if Rei didn’t want us knowing about it, we’re probably better off not knowing.”

“True.  By the way, when are we going to tell the rest of the team about our new relationship? We can’t hide it from them forever. They deserve to know, don’t they?”

Haru sighed, somehow managing to fit his entire response into it. _I don’t know. It’s up to you, but I’m still getting used to the idea of publicly admitting that we’re dating. We just started today, after all._

“Same. Maybe we should give it some time? But then again, I feel more anxious if I wait.” As they walked to class, Makoto changed his mind at least five times. He was adorable when he was flustered, but it became frustrating to listen to Makoto debate with himself the pros and cons of each choice. Besides, it was almost time for class to begin.

“Let’s just tell them after school. They have the weekend to get over it, and we can say we’re celebrating at your house and call it a family tradition or something to avoid being forced to stay.”

“Oh, that sounds good.”

~

Nagisa and Rei watched Makoto at swim practice carefully.

“Hey Rei-chan,” Nagisa asked. “Doesn’t Mako-chan seem a lot more energetic today?”

“Makoto-senpai always works his hardest.”

“Of course. But I mean, doesn’t he seem like he has even more energy to use today?”

Rei stared at Makoto while he contemplated Nagisa’s words. True, Makoto did seem brighter today. His stroke was faster than usual, an unknown energy powering it. This was the best time Makoto had gotten by far. “I see what you mean, Nagisa-kun.”

“Do you think it has something to do with _that_?”

“Shhh, not so loud! We don’t know if they want to keep it a secret for now.”

“But they were holding hands.”

Haru watched their exchange with suspicion. He had a growing uneasiness that those two knew something about Makoto and him, but it couldn’t be possible. _We just got together today. Neither of them should be able to figure it out that quickly._

Gou clapped her hands together, breaking apart Rei and Nagisa’s whispering. “Okay guys, we’re done for the day. But before we go, today is a special occasion!”

“Happy birthday Makoto-senpai!” Gou handed him a towel as he stepped out of the pool.

“Thanks Kou-chan!”

“Happy birthday, Makoto.” Amakata-sensei appeared holding a large cake. “We had it customized to be underwater-themed.”

Makoto admired the cerulean blue frosting covering the cake and the seaweed-shaped candy wrapped around it. “Thank you. You didn’t have to go that far, sensei. A normal cake would have been fine.”

“Oh, that looks good Ama-chan! Good call. Of course we need a special cake for our captain!” Nagisa gave Haru a light shove. “Right, Haru-chan?”

Haru shrugged. “if Makoto likes it.”

Four pairs of eyes stared at Makoto expectantly. “Of course I do! It’s really nice. But why did you guys get me two cakes?”

“Two cakes?”

“Yeah. The striped bag had a big white box in it, so I assumed it was cake.”

“Oh, _that._ ” Makoto was not enjoying the way Kou and Nagisa were laughing, especially since they were usually bickering. It was weird to see them on the same wavelength.

“Haruka-senpai, don’t!” Rei was a tad bit too late. Makoto watched as all the blood rushed to Haru’s cheeks. He was slightly worried that Haru’s head might combust from the sudden overflow.

Makoto took two big strides to where Haru stood. “What is it?”

In Haru’s hands was the white box, which contained an assortment of sex toys.

“What the fuck?” Makoto felt light-headed and ready to collapse. “Why would you get me this?”

“Mako-chan, where’s the gratitude?”

Rei shook his head helplessly. Nagisa did not know the meaning of the word _privacy_.

Amakata-sensei looked like she was trying to hold in her laughter while looking stern. Makoto looked scandalized. Rei heard a splash as Haru dived into the pool to cool down. All in all, it was a comical and disastrous situation.

Gou looked between the Haru and Makoto with obvious confusion. “Makoto-senpai, wouldn’t these make things more exciting between you and Haruka-senpai? Nagisa and I thought you would like them.”

“W-what?” Makoto choked on his spit.  “Why would Haru and I need this? We’re not even that far into our relationship. We started dating _today._ ”

There was a moment of silence like the calm before the storm. “WHAT?” There was a loud chorus of disbelief from everyone present.

It was Makoto’s turn to look confused. “Why is that so surprising?” He felt a wet hand on his shoulder and turned to find Haru, equally as lost as Makoto was. “Why are they so surprised, Haru?”

“I could have sworn you guys have been dating since you were in middle school or something!” Nagisa seemed to be dissecting Makoto’s statement bit by bit and comparing it to his thoughts. “Only today? Then, what was all that before?”

“All that?” Haru asked.

“All the touching and lingering glances, the loving gazes and sleeping over, and the way that Mako-chan always knows what you’re saying when no one else does.”

 _Were we really that obvious with our feelings towards each other?_ Makoto tried placing himself in the point of view of an observer watching his exchanges with Haru. He imagined their usual exchanges. During lunch, Makoto would call for Haru to wait up or scold him for packing only mackerel and rice. _“You can’t only eat that. I packed another lunch for you.”_ Oh...Now that Makoto actually thought about it, he and Haru did act like a married couple, which was probably where the misunderstanding stemmed from.

Makoto rubbed his head sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry guys. We just started dating today. We’re definitely not using those.”

“Maybe not today, but those toys better get some action when you guys move on to the next stage.”

“Nagisa-kun! You can’t force them to-“ Rei tried to defend Makoto and Haru, only to be cut off by Kou.

“Yeah, I agree with Nagisa on this one. We didn’t spend around 30000¥ just for it to be wasted.”

“These things are that expensive!?” Makoto grabbed Haru to keep his legs from giving out. Haru looked mortified.

“They were high-quality!”

After the mini-celebration came to a close and the rest of the swim club had left, Haru grabbed Makoto and leaned in for a kiss, which Makoto responded to immediately.

~

“You know what, Haru?”

Haru looked up curiously as they stood outside Makoto’s house. His parents had caled him, telling him that before he began his “honeymoon” with Haru ( _Did everyone seriously call this before we even started dating,_ Makoto thought. _Oh my god, are we that oblivious?_ ), they should drop by and eat the food prepared by the Tachibana family. (“We made all your favorities.”)

“You were definitely the best present I got this year.”

(They didn’t use the toys that night. Nagisa and Rei did, however, find a random dildo lying around when they visited Makoto and Haru’s shared apartment in Tokyo the following year.)

 

 


End file.
